Ascendant Heroes: The Dark Duchess
by MalcolmXtreme
Summary: A quiet family in Maine goes through life with unique abilities that might connect them to a past of secrecy and will question their innocence and place in society.


Introduction

Golden rays darted in from above, through the curving dark green canopy of the pine forest. A random chorus of birds chirped from the tree tops; their song echoing through the wilderness freely without interruption. There was a sound, a faint sound at first that escalated into a jubilant laugh as it dashed through the forest in a blue blur, another taller figure followed with the same and almost equal speed. Focusing clearly the blurred figures appeared to be a young girl and an older seemingly more athletically built older man.

The man wore a dark blue shirt with dark jeans, and gray tennis shoes. His built physique was well defined by his rough copper skin tone; his face had a look of annoyance fixed upon it as his dark eyes attempted to follow the girl's movements through the trees. The girls black hair danced and bounced with each stride as she cut through the dead pine needles that decorated the ground. The sun struck her light brown skin as she left the shade of the passing trees with her speed. She chuckled giddily as her father chased her along; when he started nearing she sped up just enough evading his grasp. A fallen over pine tree had lay ahead of her; the trunk was propped slightly against another at a diagonal angle that exceeded her own height, but with one bend and leap she front flipped over it gracefully.

Although she was eleven she took every chance she could to explore her ability of reflex and endurance even at the cost of frustrating her parents. She looked back, her father still trailed behind without any signs of fatigue.

"Come back here young lady!" he shouted a few paces back.

"You can't catch me!" she taunted. She turned her head back to a forward view and jumped towards a tree, pushing forward off the center of the trunk. The man paused for a moment dumbfounded as his daughter bound forward from tree to tree; the tree bark scattering as her heels made impact and pushed onward.

"Bet you can't do this dad," The girl barbed playfully on her fourth bound. She pushed onward on a fifth bound, but was swiftly intercepted.

A woman stood in front of the man; she wore a white ruffled blouse that resembled her complexion and dark pants.

"Zania, Aurora was giving me trouble," He said a long sigh following as he approached. Aurora's arms and legs hung downward; as she was being held under Zania's right arm. The excitement faded from her eyes as she realized her momentum was halted and she was now staring down at her mother's black ballet flats. Zania glared down at her daughter with cold hazel eyes. Aurora looked upward, her eyes attempting to suggest innocence, but to no avail.

"You shouldn't run from your father like that; more importantly you should obey him when he tells you to stop something," Zania brushed the dirt off of Aurora's light blue dress continuing her reprimand, "What if someone had seen you hopping from tree to tree like some deranged monkey?"

"Mom we're miles and miles away from our neighbors with acres of forests beyond us no body is watchi-," Zania hunched forward and moved her hand over Aurora's mouth quickly; halting her argument and countered with her own," I saw you run from your father, I saw you jump from tree to tree; I watched you then I caught you. Always assume you're being watched. You must mind your abilities everywhere you go understand?"

"Yes mom," Aurora replied softly grabbing her mothers' hand and cupping it in her own.

"We'll be needing wood for the fire place Evan," Zania commanded to her husband looking on as the two walked towards home.

They stepped lightly through the pine needles that covered the forest floor; just a few yards ahead the floor merged with an emerald clearing at the edge of the forest. As Zania and Aurora reached their sun veiled exit they heard a _Crunch!_ And _Crash!_ Zania spun to the sight of Evan brushing his shoulder off; a toppled tree to his side and a broken stump barely still attached to its trunk.

"What did I just tell your daughter? Come home and get the axe!" Zania yelled across the forest, furious at Evan's lack of attention to her previous consultation to Aurora. Evan turned to look at the broken tree then Zania, switching views in wide eyed apology until he shouted; "Sorry!" He jogged over to them and joined them near the clearing.


End file.
